BARREL 2K: Tri-axial Magnetometer Data from Stratospheric Balloon Campaigns

Tri-axial DC magnetometer data from the BARREL mission's stratospheric balloon campaigns. The dataset contains magnetic field measurements at 0.25-second resolution, collected from over 50 balloon flights launched from Antarctica and Sweden between 2013 and 2016. NASA produced this Level 2 data to study ultra-low frequency magnetic variations and electron precipitation from Earth's radiation belts.

Use Cases

• Analyzing ultra-low frequency (ULF) magnetic field variations based on tri-axial magnetometer measurements.
• Studying spatial and temporal scales of relativistic electron precipitation based on coordinated balloon and satellite observations.
• Investigating magnetospheric wave phenomena based on magnetic field data collected at stratospheric altitudes.
• Correlating balloon-based magnetic measurements with in-situ satellite data from missions like the Van Allen Probes.

Strengths

• Data collected from over 50 stratospheric balloon flights across four campaigns.
• High-resolution 0.25-second time-series measurements of three magnetic field axes.
• Coordinated observations with multiple satellite missions and ground-based instruments.

Limitations

• Data are not gain-corrected or despun, which may require additional processing for some analyses.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Collection Method

Measurements from tri-axial fluxgate magnetometers carried on small stratospheric balloons.

Time Range

Campaigns conducted in 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 13:13:12.199573; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Balloon launches from Halley Bay and SANAE IV in Antarctica, and the Esrange Space Center in Kiruna, Sweden.